Leftist nutcase Alan Ritchson just got hit with a cease-and-desist over the accusations he keeps throwing at the President. The “Reacher” star has spent months attacking the President in interviews and on social media, making a series of claims that the President’s legal team says are flat-out false. This week, those lawyers took action.
The petition filed in court says what Ritchson has been saying goes “way past protected speech and straight into slander.” Alex Bruno, a 15th Circuit judge, agreed. He put a gag order on Ritchson until the civil suit is settled.
That means the actor can’t keep repeating the claims in public while the case moves forward. If he does, he could face penalties from the court.
Ritchson, who rose to fame playing the hulking ex-military cop Jack Reacher in the Amazon series, has become one of the more outspoken liberal voices in Hollywood. He has made no secret of his feelings about the President and his supporters. Over the last year, his comments grew sharper, and according to the petition, they crossed a line.
“Criticizing a public figure is one thing,” said one attorney familiar with defamation law. “Accusing him of specific conduct that you can’t back up is something else. That’s where you get into trouble.”
The President’s legal team said in a statement that they welcomed the judge’s decision. “Free speech is a right, not a license to make things up,” the statement said. “Mr. Ritchson will have his day in court. Until then, he needs to stop.”
Ritchson’s side sees it differently. His lawyers argued that the actor was simply expressing his opinion about a public official, which is protected under the First Amendment. They called the gag order an attempt to scare him into silence and said they plan to fight it.
Judge Bruno was not persuaded. Lawyers who have appeared before him describe him as careful but firm, and not someone who backs off because a famous name is involved.
“He reads everything, and he doesn’t care about the headlines,” one Palm Beach attorney said. “If he thinks the line was crossed, he’s going to say so.”
Online, the reaction split along familiar lines. Supporters of the President celebrated, saying it was about time Hollywood stars faced consequences for what they say. Ritchson’s fans said the order was an attack on free speech and promised to keep sharing his posts.
The actor himself has gone quiet, at least for now. His social media accounts haven’t been updated since the order came down.
The civil suit is expected to take months, possibly longer. Until it’s settled, one of Hollywood’s loudest critics will have to keep his thoughts to himself.